Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Sarower Alam has warned that individuals in possession of illegally extracted stones must return them within a few hours or face legal consequences.
He made the remarks during a visit to the Sada Pathor tourist site in Sylhet on Friday morning.
The DC said: “The entire area will be brought under CCTV surveillance and kept under round-the-clock monitoring. No one will get away with committing crimes here. Those responsible will be brought under the law. Not a single stone will be moved from this site anymore.”
He added: “If anyone still attempts it, they should know it will only bring them misfortune. These natural resources will remain here, as 95% of the local people want to preserve them. Only a handful are trying to exploit the area, and we will take every necessary step to stop them.”
He further said: “Whoever is found with stones will face imprisonment straight away. We are allowing a few hours for everyone to return whatever stones they have taken. After that, legal action will follow.”
“The crushing machines we have shut down will be reopened only through legal authorization. Keeping them closed harms those who have invested lawfully. Therefore, we will ensure both environmental and tourism protection while identifying the natural resources. At the same time, we will try to keep legitimate businesses running,” the DC added.
